Airglide suspension device



Sept. 6, 1966 D. P. GRUDOSKI AIRGLIDE SUSPENSION DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 6, 1962 INVENTOR.

DANIEL P. GRUDOSKI BY Z 6% ATTORNEYS Sept. 6, 1966 D. P. GRUDOSKI AIRGLIDE SUSPENSION DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 6, 1962 INVENTOR.

3 BIZ] DANIEL R GRUDOSKI United States Patent 3,271,029 AIRGLIDE SUSPENSION DEVICE Daniel I. Grudoski, Hartstown, Pa., assignor to Blazon, Inc., Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 215,105 1 Claim. (Cl. 272-87) This invention relates to a suspension means for swings and more particularly to resilient drop-arms for an airglide swing or like elements of outdoor gym sets and other play devices.

Heretofore, airglide and similar swings were usually suspended from the top crossbar of a gym set by at least one pair of rigid drop-arms pivoted at their upper ends of a yoke fixed to the top crossbar of a gym set. The seats are carried on the lower portion of the drop-arms by means of a lower crossbar or similar linkages pivoted to the lower end of the drop-arms and extending parallel to the yoke. Handles and foot rests are also carried on the lower portion of the drop-arms and are fixed to each drop-arm above and below the seats.

This arrangement was found to be deficient in at least two respects. The ride permitted by airglide and similar swings having rigid drop-arms is confined to an arc of a circle and is not lively. Children, and in particular active children, find that a swing ride governed largely by the mechanical limits of the swing device itself is uninteresting. More acceptable and interesting to these children is a ride that is governed largely by their own body movements. Furthermore, when children constantly use an airglide swing having rigid drop-arms, the steel pivot pins associated with the rigid drop-arms may become notched or deeply scratched by the drop-arms when sudden loads are applied. Thereafter, applied loads will concentrate at these notches or scratches and may cause fatigue failure of the pins upon cyclic stressing.

An object of the present invention is to provide a suspension means for swings that overcomes these deficiencies of the prior art.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide resilient drop-arms for swings that will cushion loads that are suddenly applied to the drop-arms and will perrnit a lively and interesting ride governed largely by the body movements of a child.

A further object of this invention is to provide resilient drop-arms for an airglide swing or like elements of outdoor gym sets and other play devices that will permit the swing to follow a curve or plane, or combinations of a curve and plane, that is governed by the body movements of children riding the swing.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor gym set having resilient airglide and lawn swing drop-arms, according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the resilient airglide drop-arms shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the drop-arms shown in FIG. 2, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 3-3 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a top crossbar of a gym set is shown. Fixed to the crossbar 10 are transverse support yokes 11 having bifurcated arm portions 12 and 13. Pivotally connected to each of the arm portions 12 and 13 are drop-arms 14 and 14a.

Patented Sept. 6, 1966 The drop-arms 14, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, support an airglide swing 30, and each drop-arm 14 comprises an outer tubular member 15 and an inner tubular member 16. The inner tubular mmeber 16 has flattened upper and lower ends 17 and 18 respectively. The flattened upper end 17 is looped around a bushing 19 and is fixed to itself by a rivet 20. A pivot pin 21 is received within the bushing 19 and the pin 21 is fixed to the support yoke 11.

A coil spring 22 surrounds a cylindrical portion of the inner tubular member 16, and the spring 22 and the inner tubular member 16 are telescoped Within the outer tubular member 15. The spring is retained in posiiton by an upper, inwardly crimped portion 23 provided in the outer member 15 and by a shoulder 24 of the flattened lower end 18.

The outer tubular members 15 extend downwardly toward the level of the ground and have an airglide swing 30 pivoted to each of the members 15. The airglide swing 30 is of standard construction and comprises horizontal bars 31 pivotally connected to the lower end portion of each member 15, as is shown in FIG. 1. Bucket seats 32 are fixed to either end of the horizontal bars 31. Hand grips 33 and foot rests 34 are fixed to each member 15 above and below the horizontal bars 31.

The drop-arms 14a, as shown in FIG. 1, support a lawn swing 40 and each drop-arm 14a comprises an outer tubular member 15a and an inner tubular member 16a. The inner tubular member 16a has a flattened upper end 17a and a flattened lower end, not shown, but corresponding to the flattened lower end 18 of the member 16. The outer tubular member 15a correspond-s precisely to the member 15. Each inner tubular member 16a corresponds precisely to each member 16, except that the upper end portion of each member 16a is bent inwardly to its pivotal connection on the yoke 11 so that the top-arms 14a can pivotally suspend a foot platform 41 at their lower ends. The drop-arms 14a are provided with coil springs, not shown, and upper, inwardly crimped portions 23a which correspond precisely to the coil springs 22 and the crimped portions 23 and serve to resiliently interconnect the inner and outer tubular members 15a and 16a in the previously described manner.

The outer tubular members 15a extend downwardly toward the level of the ground. As is shown in FIG. 1, chair seats 42 are fixed to the lower end portions of the members 15a.

When sudden loads are applied to the drop-arms 14 and 14a, the springs 22 and the corresponding springs in the drop-arms 14a will absorb the applied loads by being compressed between the upper, inwardly crimped portions 23 and 23a'and the shoulder 24 and a similar shoulder, not shown, in the drop-arms 14a. The resilient droparms, furthermore, provide a lively and interesting ride to the occupants of the airglide swing 30 and the lawn swing 40.

The outer tubular members 15 and 15a are provided with lower, inwardly crimped portions 25 and 25a. The crimped portions 25 and 25a cooperate, respectively, with the flattened lower end 18 of the inner tubular member 16 and the corresponding flattened lower end of the member 16a to prevent the inner and outer tubular members from rotating with respect to each other.

Many other modifications and variations of the preferred embodiment of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the above disclosure. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claim, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically shown and described here- What is claimed is:

In combination with a gym set having a top crossbar and drop arms pivotally connected to said top crossbar, the improvement which comprises a resiliently extensible drop arm pivotally connected to said crossbar, said drop arm comprising an outer tubular member, an inner tubular member telescoped Within said outer tubular member, means resiliently interconnecting said inner and outer tubular members, pivot means on said inner tubular member for attaching said inner tubular member to the top crossbar of the gym set, said inner tubular member having a flattened lower end portion, said outer tubular member having lower, inwardly crimped portions cooperating with said flattened lower end portions to prevent substantial relative rotation of said members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 337,347 3/1886 Nusbaum 287-86 568,083 9/1896 Davidson 267-71 871,692 11/1907 Gray 5127 X 1,006,950 10/1911 Keddy 26'77l 1,036,813 8/1912 Edsall et a1. 287109 2,830,808 4/1958 Graber 26771 2,982,539 5/ 1961 Cameron et a1. 267-71 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. CARL W. TOMLIN, Examiner.

I. B. TALTON, F. B. LEONARD, A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiners. 

